Housing For A Component of An Exhaust System, and Such a Component

ABSTRACT

A housing for a component of an exhaust system has an opening which is provided in the housing, and a pipe which is arranged in the opening and connected with the housing. The pipe projects out of the housing and is connected with a connecting pipe shortly behind the opening. The invention further relates to such a component.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application is the U.S. National Phase of PCT/EP2007/004624 filed 24 May 2007, which claimed priority to German Application 10 2006 008 458.4 filed 24 May 2006.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a housing for a component of an exhaust system, and to such a component.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In exhaust systems of a combustion motor vehicle, exhaust gas flow produced during combustion is guided out of an engine compartment to a rear end of the vehicle. Many of the components of the exhaust system, such as a muffler, a catalytic converter, or a particulate filter for example, are connected with each other via pipes. To this end, the pipes are welded, for example, to the components of the exhaust system. The connection between the pipes and the components must be durable. Also, if a loading occurs, such as in the case of road irregularities, the connection should be able to withstand such loading.

The object of the invention is to provide a housing for a component of an exhaust system where a pipe can be connected in a simple and durable manner. It is furthermore the object of the invention to provide a component of an exhaust system that can be connected with other components in a simple way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A housing for a component of an exhaust system has an opening which is provided in the housing, and a pipe which is arranged in the opening and connected with the housing. The pipe projects out of the housing and is connected with a connecting pipe shortly behind the opening. The pipe extends out of the housing and is connected with the connecting pipe. The connecting pipe is therefore not connected with the pipe directly on the housing. A weakening of the material by a weld seam, by weld penetration, etc. is thus prevented. If a loading occurs, for example due to road irregularities or vibrations transmitted by the combustion engine, the stresses occurring in the material are instead spread over a larger surface. This leads to a higher fatigue strength.

In one example, the pipe has a wall thickness of a maximum of 1.2 mm and of at least approximately 0.8 mm. Owing to this lightweight construction, such an exhaust system has a very low weight.

In one example, the pipe and the housing are connected with each other in a gas-tight manner in order to prevent an undesired outflow of the exhaust gas flow. Such a gas-tight connection can be obtained by welding or soldering. In one example, the preferred connecting method is high-temperature soldering. High-temperature soldering can be used in a thermally and mechanically highly loaded connection.

The pipe and the connecting pipe are in particular connected with each other in a gas-tight manner. The connection of the pipe and the housing is realized by welding or soldering, in particular by high-temperature soldering.

In one example, a collar that surrounds the opening is provided on the housing. The collar is in particular integrally formed with the housing. The pipe is connected with the collar of the housing, which results in an enlarged weld or soldered seam. The stresses occurring in the material are thus transmitted via a larger surface.

In one example, the pipe has an expanded portion at that end which is connected with the connecting pipe. The connecting pipe is inserted into the pipe and then soldered or welded thereto.

The invention further relates to a component of an exhaust system having a housing of the aforementioned type and a connecting pipe. Concerning the advantages, reference is made to the above explanations.

Further features and advantages will be apparent from the dependent claims.

The invention is described below with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cut view of part of a housing according to the invention for a component of an exhaust system, and

FIG. 2 shows the area of FIG. 1 denoted by X on an enlarged scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 schematically shows part of a component of an exhaust system in the form of a muffler 10. The muffler 10 has a housing 12 that is made of a metallic material such as steel.

The housing 12 can be configured in one piece or in several pieces and has an opening 14 surrounded by a collar 16 of the housing 12, which projects to the outside. The housing 12 has a wall thickness w₁ of approximately 1.2 mm, and in the region of the collar 16, the housing 12 has a wall thickness w₂ of approximately 0.8 mm.

A pipe 18 conducting the exhaust gas flow extends in the housing 12. The diameter of the pipe 18 is chosen such that in the mounted state, the pipe 18 rests against the collar 16. At that end which projects out of the housing 12, the pipe 18 is expanded so that a connecting pipe 20 can be inserted into the pipe 18. In FIG. 2, the expanded portion of the pipe 18 is provided with reference number 21.

The assembling takes place as follows: the pipe 18 is placed into the muffler 10 such that it extends through the opening 14 and projects out of the housing 12. The pipe 18 is then connected with the housing 12 in a gas-tight manner by a first weld or soldered seam 22. With respect to FIG. 2, the connecting pipe 20 is inserted into the pipe 18 from the left, and is connected with the pipe 18 in a gas-tight manner by a second weld or soldered seam 24.

The durability of the connections is increased because a weld penetration is prevented. Owing to the collar 16 and the insertion of the connecting pipe 20, a larger weld or soldered seam is produced so that the stresses are spread over a larger surface. The connection of the muffler 10, the pipe 18, and the connecting pipe 20 distinguishes itself by a particularly high fatigue strength.

Although an embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention. 

1. A housing for a component of an exhaust system, comprising: an opening provided in the housing; a pipe arranged in the opening and connected with the housing; and wherein the pipe projects out of the housing and is connected with a connecting pipe at a location spaced from the opening.
 2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a wall thickness of a maximum of 1.2 mm and of at least approximately 0.8 mm.
 3. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the pipe and the housing are connected with each other in a gas-tight manner.
 4. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the pipe and the connecting pipe are connected with each other in a gas-tight manner.
 5. The housing according to claim 1, including a collar on the housing which surrounds the opening.
 6. The housing according to claim 1, wherein at an end of the pipe that is connected with the connecting pipe, the pipe has an expanded portion.
 7. A component of an exhaust system comprising: a housing; an opening provided in the housing; a pipe arranged in the opening and connected with the housing; and wherein the pipe projects out of the housing and is connected with a connecting pipe at a location spaced from the opening.
 8. The component according to claim 7, wherein the component is a muffler. 